DHS’ Negligence Led To Sexual Abuse Of Foster Girls, $15M Lawsuit Claims

Oregon’s Department of Human Services (DHS) was sued for allegedly placing two minor girls in a foster home with a sexually abusive teen, which laid the ground for their physical and mental trauma.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the Multnomah County Circuit Court in Oregon on Friday, claimed the DHS negligently placed a 13-year-old boy with a history of domestic abuse in the same foster home as six other children in October 2014, five of whom were below the age of 10. Among those five were the victims — aged seven and five years respectively at the time.

The suit, filed by the girls’ guardian, sought $50,000 for each sister's counseling and treatment, as well as $2.5 million each for non-economic damages. Along with other damages, the lawsuit amounts to $5 million, Oregon Live reported. However, the suit also cited Oregon's "vulnerable persons" law, which allowed the plaintiff to seek triple the amount of damages suffered by the children, bringing the amount to $15 million.

“Specifically, DHS was aware that [the teen] had sexually abused his younger sister prior to placement in foster care with [the foster parent] K.B., for which he received treatment,” the lawsuit states, CBS-affiliated KOIN reported.

The abusive teen was shifted to the facility two days after the victims moved into the foster home. Although the DHS knew about the boy’s past behavior, it made no effort to supervise him while inside the facility, the lawsuit claimed.

He lived with the victims for two months in 2014, during which he repeatedly raped the older victim, while fondling both of them multiple times and forcing them to touch his private parts. The younger victim was also forced to watch the teen masturbate. He used to lock both of them in the room while he abused them.

The teen also threatened the older victim not to complain about the abuse she suffered at his hands.

According to the lawsuit, one of the foster parents “demanded” the teen be removed from the foster home after just a month, but DHS ignored the request and allowed the teen to stay in the home for an additional month. As a result of the abuses, both the victims — who were disabled, as a result of experiencing abuse prior to moving into foster care — suffered depression, anxiety, embarrassment, shame, nightmares and sleep disruption.

The shockingly poor status of the DHS and foster care in Oregon was laid bare in the secretary of state's recent audit of its services.

“Oregon's most vulnerable children are being placed into a foster care system that has serious problems. Child welfare workers are burning out and consistently leaving the system in high numbers. The supply of suitable foster homes and residential facilities is dwindling, resulting in some children spending days and weeks in hotels. Foster parents are struggling with limited training, support and resources. Agency management's response to these problems has been slow, indecisive and inadequate,” a portion of the audit report, released in May stated.